William birnte ntcoll



W. B. NICOLL.

MATCH SCRATCHER. Armclmou FILED SEPT. 26. 191e.

1,304,194. i Patented May 20,1919.

lll IUHH Hum Afm if A TOHNEYS r mams Persos co. mmm-ums.. wAsmNu nm n WILLIAM BIRNIE NICOLL, OF FO PATENT OFFICE.

RT WILLIAM, ONTARIO, CANADA.

MATCH-SCRATCI-IER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, v1919.

Application led September 26, 1918. Serial No. 255,822.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. NrcoLL, a subject of Great Britain, and a resident of Fort William, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Match-Scratcher, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to match scratchers, my more particular purpose being to provide a device of this character having comparatively simple form and adapted to be secured upon a garment of the wearer.`

My invention Vfurther contemplates the provision of using a portion of a match scratcher for a diEerent purpose than that of lighting matches, to wit; of sharpening toothpicks or the like.

My invention also contemplates the pro-"-y duction of a neat, simple and cheaply conj structed device of this general type, and having great efficiency.

In this connection it may be remarked that a great many persons are in the habit of carrying matches loose in their pockets and the lighting of these matches as desired, by l striking them upon the garment of the.,

are thrustJ into the garment through holes 8 which may be specially prepared for the purpose, after the manner of button-holes, or may be improvised by merely thrusting the points through them. For this purpose the plate is bowed, bent, or sprung slightly, as the case may be, in order that when flattened out the points will penetrate a suffin cient distance to hold the plate in position as indicated in Fig. 1.

At 9 is a portion of the plate 5, cut in the form of a strip and coiled upon itself so as to make a member having the proximate form of a cone and integral with the plate. This memberis'essentially a guide and is used for the purpose of holding in position a small stick or even a match, as shown at 10, in Fig. 1. The stick or match is thrust through the member 9 and is then given a few turns by the fingers of the operator so that the point of the stick or match becomes sharpened and as a result the stick or match may be used as a toothpick. The rough iny ner surface of the conical guide surface to gg render the end of the match or stick conical and the point of the stick is made by its conwearer. This is destructive of the garment tact with the flat surface of the plate.

and is unsatisfactory for manyother reasons. What I seek to do, therefore, is to pro-5 vide a match scratcher in the form of a metallic plate, provided with sharp points which can be thrust into or through the garment in order to hold the device in position, so that matches can readily be struck upon its sur face and also to make additional provision for use of the match scratcher for the other' purpose above specified.

Reference is made t the accompanying drawing forming part of this specication and in which like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a garment to which my improved match scratcher is attached;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

A garment is shown at 4 and may be a coat, vest, or jacket, or some part of a uniform, as desired. The match scratcher is shown at 5 and is in the form of a plate having a roughened face 6. The plate is made of metal and is provided at its ends with sharp points 7, each having preferably the form of a triangle as shown. The points 7 In practice the match scratcher is used very much after the manner of any other fmatch scratcher, this feature being old and V:'well known and needing no particular description.

By means of this device a single match can be made to perform a double purpose, namely, doing the duty ordinarily required of a match and in addition furnishing the stick to be made into a toothpick as above described. Thus, a single match may be made to light a pipe, for instance, and to furnish the material for a toothpick to be used upon the teeth.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown as variations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character -described comprising a metallic plate provided with a rough surface upon which matches may be scratched, said plate being provided with means for holding it upon a garment, and

having a portion thereof bent into the proximate form of a hollow cone with the roughened surface on the inner side for the purpose of guiding a stick and also dressing the Same when thrust through said cone, into engegement WithV the rough surface of the plate.

2. A device of the character described con'xprising a metallic plate provided with a rough surface and further provided with sharp points integral Withit andprojecting from it for the purpose of anchoring it t0 a garment, and e guiding member having the l0 proximate form of a cone and having a roughened inner surface, said member being carried by said plate adjacent one edge thereof for the purpose of guiding for dressing u Stick or the like When thrust through said member into Contact with said rough `surface ofsaid plate.

WILLIAM BIRNIE NICOLL.

Copies of lthis patent may 11e-obtained for ve centseach,-by addressing ,the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1).;13.l 

